The technique Clarke describes is really the same for Word, except for a few details. The overall process is the same; but we’ll use Word’s Mail Merge Wizard, a handy feature new in Word 2002, that steps you through the process. It should go without saying that you’ll need a printer which can print envelopes, and have the envelopes loaded into the printer before doing all these steps.

Before you begin, you’ll need to select a data source, which is your list of card recipients. Word lets you use a wide variety of data sources:

• Microsoft Outlook Contact List
• Microsoft Office Address List
• Microsoft Excel worksheet or Microsoft Access database
• Other database files
• HTML file
• Different type of electronic address book
• A Microsoft Outlook Address Book. 
• Microsoft Word data source or a header source
• Text files

Holiday cards often use nonstandard size envelopes, so I when pick my cards, I keep one of Word’s limitations in mind: it will not work with cards smaller than 6.4 inches by 2.13 inches in size. I’ve never seen a card that’s 2.13 inches in height, but have a drawer full of envelopes smaller than 6.4 inches in width, which I can’t address directly. I can still use mailing labels, but they won’t look as neat.

Now that we’re ready to start addressing, let’s launch Word 2002’s Mail Merge Wizard. Click on Tools/Letters and Mailings/Mail Merge Wizard to begin. The first screen asks you to select what sort of document you are going to merge to—pick Envelopes. Then, at the bottom of the screen, click on Starting Document. In Step 2, we’ll select the Envelope Options to enter the size of our envelopes. When the Envelope Options windows pops up, scroll down to the last entry on the Envelope Size pick list, which should say Custom Size. When you pick that, another window pops up and asks you to enter the size of your envelope—do so in decimal fractions of inches. Before you leave the Envelope Options screen, you may want to select the font to use in your address and the return address fields. Perhaps something less formal than Times New Roman or less boring than Arial would be appropriate for addressing the envelope. Avoid using highly stylized fonts like Arriba Arriba LET if you want the Post Office’s scanners to be able to read the addresses. Now, at the bottom of the Wizard screen, pick Step 3: Select Recipients.

Since we already prepared our list of recipients, we’ll select a our data source, and then select the recipients from the total list in the data source. You don’t have to select everyone on the list to get a card; use the check boxes in the Mail Merge Recipients list to tell Word which recipients to use. Now, at the bottom of the Wizard pane, select Arrange your envelope.

On the Arranging your envelope pane, the first choice is to select a layout for the address block. This actually attempts to create the entire address block from the data source, a neat trick. Word tries to find address fields to use in composing your address book, but if it fails, you may have to use the Match Fields button to pick the fields to use. If you want to select all fields yourself, use the More items. . . button on the Arrange your envelope pane. Be sure you have placed the insertion point in the lower address block on the document pane, or Word will insert the address block in the return address field. Then proceed to the next Wizard pane by clicking on Preview your envelopes at the bottom of the pane.

The Preview your envelopes pane prepares images of each address block and lets you view any or all of the recipients. You can change your mind and add or delete a recipient. Then move onward to the last step, Complete the merge.

Word gives you one last chance on the Complete the merge pane to change your mind on the last Wizard screen. You can edit a particular envelope before you print it, or just tell Word to print the envelopes (which must be loaded into your printer). If you select Print, you can print all the envelopes, or just selected envelopes.

That’s all there is to it! Happy addressing.